Brotherhood
by RedMonocle
Summary: "I'm sorry, I just… I thought you just never liked me enough to even talk to me, let alone come to my lair..." Almost Gumshall. Drabble. COMPLETE.


**A/N:**

**Heh, funny story about this drabble actually. I wrote it back in tenth grade using a series of vocab worksheets. Every sentence here was once a part of my English homework (though, I admit, I've tweaked it a little from the original). On the first worksheet, my teacher commented "creative" at the top next to the grade, but as for the rest that followed, he never said a thing more. :P  
**

**Oh, and Bubba and Marshall obviously don't belong to me. They belong to Pendleton Ward and blah blah blah.**

******So, yeah, on with the story!**

**-Reddie**

* * *

The raven-haired musician was usually so energetic, but today he seemed a tad more vapid as he lounged in the shade sucking strawberries. A rosy-cheeked prince spotted him from the window and decided to make a foray from the castle to give company to the fellow for just a moment. The bass-playing vampire was not indigenous to the colorful kingdom, but he knew who the prince was after twenty years of occasional encounters during his travels. Everything felt awkward to the prince when he realized just how nebulous his knowledge of the vampire was; they've seen each other myriads of times but never really talked. The prince shyly ambled toward the strawberry-eating vampire, buying time to think of how to start the conversation.

He soon ran out of time to think when a foot had stepped close enough to end his pilgrimage toward the vampire. The vampire merely gave a grunt of acknowledgement toward the prince, making no move to fix his tousled hair or clothing; he'd never cared what anyone thought of him, let alone what the prince thought. And the prince paid no heed to such careless nature, as he knew the vampire well enough to understand why the fellow was just so obstreperous to change; it'd be too hard to change the ways of a thousand year old vampire. Not wanting to tarry in the silence any longer, the prince began to speak; much to his surprise, the conversation lasted much longer than usual. The sun set, allowing the vampire to step out of the shade and it was then that he decided to invite the prince to his lair: a ramshackle cabin composed of rotting wood.

The vampire did not wish to rankle or tease the prince in any way today; he was looking to dissolve some the cold distance placed between them. The monarch had noticed hospitality and personal friendliness from the vampire; such behavior from the night-walker was novel to him. Setting another plate at the table for the monarch, the vampire decided to serve apples instead of strawberries, though the latter was his preferential druthers for dinner. As he listened to the prince ramble at the table, the vampire tried to fight the apoplectic feeling digging into his skull. The monarch's tedious speech of royal stress was finally over and at that, the host breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Sensing that he was being subjected to close scrutiny, the prince asked, "Marshall, why are you looking at me like that?" The musician laughed softly, seeing how his guest was ruddier than usual from either embarrassment or annoyance.

"I'm sorry, I just… I thought you just never liked me enough to even talk to me, let alone come to my lair," said Marshall with a genial smile; but his eyes were filled with pain.

It was then that the last bit of heavy cold-war tension was finally heaved out of the space between them. If the acquaintances had ever resented one another, that was gone now.

"Well… I guess I'd better get back to the castle to do princely stuff," the ruddy monarch laughed, his voice teeming with insincere enthusiasm. The vampire could sense that the prince's enthusiasm was spurious, knowing how stressful it could be to run a kingdom. "No, wait," speedily came the vampire's staccato reply, not wanting his new friend to leave so quickly. "I've got something for you…"

All breath was purloined swiftly form the prince when sharp fangs sunk into his skin. The new brotherhood filling the space between them was vehement in their hearts' very cores as they dashed away together into the night.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Reviews are appreciated. :) Let me know if I should make this something more than just a "brotherhood" ( because c'mon, who doesn't love a little Gumshall, eh?)**

**-Reddie**


End file.
